The former press secretary to the President of Ukraine On 16 September, Yulia Mendel was denied entry to the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, where she was due to speak at an event organised by representatives of the German party «Alternative for Germany» (AfD). According to Mendel herself, European Parliament staff informed her of the ban on entry a few hours before the event was due to begin. She suggested that the decision might be linked to the sanctions imposed against her by the National Security and Defence Council, although there is currently no official confirmation of this reason.
Mendel found out about the ban just before her performance
Mendel has released a video of a conversation she had with European Parliament staff. According to her, they told her they had been instructed not to let her into the building.
- Yulia Mendel was not allowed into the European Parliament.
- She was due to speak at an AfD event.
- No official reason was given for the ban.
- Mendel links the situation to the sanctions imposed by the National Security and Defence Council.
The president’s former spokesperson claims that she only learnt of the restrictions immediately before her scheduled speech and was not given a detailed explanation. She described the situation as an act of «self-censorship» and stated that the speech she had prepared did not contain any anti-Ukrainian sentiments.
Mendel She also said that, having been refused entry, she plans to take part in the event via video call.
At the same time, Channel 24, citing the European Parliament, reports that the event did not have the status of an official event organised by the institution.
She was supposed to talk about «peace rather than escalation»
The event was held under the title «Ukraine: taking the plunge into peace. Diplomacy rather than escalation». It was organised by representatives AfD, whilst MEP Hans Neuhaus was listed among the participants.
On the European Parliament’s official website, Neuhoff is listed as an MEP for Germany Alternative for Germany and a member of the Europe of Sovereign Nations group. In previous speeches and documents, he has repeatedly called for negotiations with Russia and criticised military support for Ukraine.
Mendel herself had stated the day before that she planned to speak at the European Parliament at the invitation of the AfD and to discuss the need for a diplomatic end to the war.
Mendel links the ban to sanctions
On 13 September, the President Volodymyr Zelenskyy enacted the NSDC’s decision on the application of targeted sanctions to Mendel and others.
Decree No. 901/2026 states that the proposal for sanctions was put forward by the Security Service of Ukraine. The Office of the President has reported that the restrictions apply to individuals whom the Ukrainian authorities consider to be involved in the dissemination of disinformation and Russian propaganda, or in supporting the Russian Federation’s aggressive policy.
Mendel disagreed with the decision and described the imposition of sanctions against Ukrainian citizens as unconstitutional. She also pointed out that the sanctions had been imposed just a few days before her scheduled speech to the European Parliament.
At the same time The European Parliament has not publicly confirmed that it was the Ukrainian sanctions that led to Mendel being barred from entering the building. Therefore, for the time being, this remains her own version of events.
The sanctions were imposed following a series of public statements
Yulia Mendel served as press secretary to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from 2019 to 2021.
In May 2026, she gave an interview to an American presenter Tucker Carlson, where she made a series of statements regarding the Ukrainian authorities, negotiations with Russia and the leadership of the President’s Office. The Ukrainian side rejected some of these claims, emphasising that Mendel had not taken part in the relevant negotiations and could not have had full information about the decision-making process.
Following the imposition of sanctions, Ukraine also stated that it would share information with its partners with a view to possible the simultaneous application of restrictions in other jurisdictions.
